Photo Gallery: Dinosaurs by Charles R. Knight

Charles R. Knight (1874-1953) was one of the first American painters to depict dinosaurs, providing imaginative and largely scientifically based renditions of the extinct beasts in real-world settings. His realistic renderings were referred to as restorations. During a time when dinosaurs were capturing the fascination of people across the country, Knight's ground-breaking images combined paleontology and artistry to create some of the most popular museum displays of his day. Though somewhat speculative and not entirely based on solid evidence, Knight's paintings put flesh on creatures no one had ever seen, and he helped shape the image of dinosaurs that lives in public consciousness to this day.

The Eohippus (or Dawn Horse) was about a foot tall and two feet long. Charles Knight's restoration of this creature appeared in National Geographic in 1916. He was a frequent contributor to the magazine.

With this painting, Knight became one of the first painters to depict dinosaurs as fast, aggressive animals. The Dryptosaurus was 20 feet long, taller than a person, and weighed over 2,000 pounds. It had eight-inch eagle-like talons at the end of each toe.

One of the largest land mammals of their time, the Uintatheriidae had a unique bone structure, particularly on their skull. To help depict the body, Knight may have observed modern elephants, where one can note similarities in the backbone and feet.